Hot Cocoa
by Perhapsormaybe
Summary: A series of fluffy drabbles to warm you this winter. Mostly Jimmy/Cindy, some Sheen/Libby.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: **It has been a while since I've written. It's been even longer (approximately 4 years) since I've written anything related to Jimmy Neutron. But I find it's a show I keep coming back to, that comforts me. For that reason, I'm writing this series of one shots. Most will be fluff. Most will probably be Jimmy/Cindy, though I want to do at least one Sheen/Libby one, and I may even write some pieces about friendship or just humor pieces. I hope you enjoy it.

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><p>"I didn't order this..." Cindy said, attempting to hand Sam back the mug of cocoa. He shook his head.<p>

"It was sent over for you, yeah," Sam moved his tray out of Cindy's reach. "You don't want it, you give it back to him yourself. And this time don't spill it on him. The ice cream you threw at him took ten minutes to clean up last time!" He walked off before Cindy could attempt once more to give the drink back.

She sighed. She'd come to the Candy Bar to think. Also, it was the first place she'd thought of storming off to after she'd yelled at Jimmy. Somehow walking across the street to her own house just didn't carry enough weight. Part of her was glad he'd followed her out, but another was annoyed. Sighing again, she grabbed the mug and headed across the restaurant to where Jimmy was sitting, looking nervous and annoyed at the same time.

"You really think hot cocoa's going to make up for it, Neutron?" she planted her free hand on her hip. He looked down at the table. For all his genius, Jimmy was only twelve. He still didn't understand girls. When he didn't answer, she set the cup down and slid into the booth beside him.

"I uh..." Jimmy coughed awkwardly. "Look, Cindy, I'd apologize but I don't know what I did wrong. Could you help me with that part, at least?"

Cindy glared. "You don't know what you did wrong? Spew-Neut-...Jimmy," she corrected, "We were supposed to spend today together. That was what we agreed on, right?"

"Yeah, every Friday night we spend together from six p.m. to eight p.m., central time, currently central standard time..." he was mumbling, trying to buy time. Cindy let him. "Was I supposed to give two weeks notice before canceling? You canceled last week for your tai chi lessons with just a warning an hour beforehand."

"But I _did _let you know before hand. I didn't make you show up and look like an idiot at Retroland...well, I didn't make you show up at Retroland by yourself, anyway. Sometimes, for such a genius, you can be a pretty big idiot."

"That's an oxymoron, Cindy."

"Well, Big Brain, maybe if you weren't _still _missing the point, I wouldn't call you an idiot!" her voice was starting to rise with each word.

"So you're feeling upset that I didn't let you know? I told you the last three times. You were fine with it, so I guess I just assumed..." Jimmy trailed off. The last three times she had been grumpy afterwards, but this was the first time she'd marched over to his lab to give him a piece of her mind. Even if she had run off after calling him a jerk.

"Jimmy, are we dating?"

That threw the pre-teen genius right off track. He spluttered for a bit, trying to hide his confusion. "I..uh...you, me, we...uh...us? Dating? I..."

"We've kissed. Only that one time, but we started spending time together after that," Cindy said reasonably. "But lately you keep finding excuses to push me away."

"I'm not pushing you away!" Jimmy insisted.

"Uh-huh. Today was really the only day you could do maintenance on Goddard?" Cindy raised an eyebrow. It was Jimmy's turn to sigh.

"Okay. So...maybe I have been trying to push you away, but it's because I still don't know what I'm doing. We spent so long being rivals that even transitioning to friends was rather extrinsic to me. I guess I am kind of an idiot...but only about somethings." He added the last part defensively.

"No argument there."

"So...start over? This can be tonight's uh...date."

"All right," Cindy crossed her arms. "But my cocoa's gone cold, so if you want me to forgive and forget, the next one had better be piping hot with whipped cream and sprinkles."

"Sounds reasonable," Jimmy smiled, "but something tells me you won't actually forget."

Cindy punched him playfully in the arm. "Probably not. But the forgiveness isn't coming until I get the cocoa."


	2. Last Christmas

**Author's Note: **The ending of "Holly Jolly Jimmy" never quite sat right with me for punishing Cindy and Libby when it was Jimmy who made Carl feel bad, and in their own way, the girls _were_ trying to help. This story assumes 'last year' as when that particular episode took place. Feel free to request prompts for this series.

_Last year:_

"No, Humphrey, don't eat that!" Cindy pulled her dog back away from the bed and the lump of coal sitting there. Libby had left an hour ago, after the two had spent several hours commiserating on their so called 'present' from Santa Claus. She grabbed the trash can from the corner of her room and swept the coal inside, frowning at the stain left behind on her bed sheet.

To be fair, the gifts from her parents were pretty good this year – a new camera, some video games and a new karate gi. But she couldn't quite figure out why she had been selected for the naughty list.

"Is this about torturing Neutron?" she said to her empty room, apparently intending to pose the question to the universe, or maybe even Santa himself. "That didn't count against me last year..." she muttered. _Pretty sure I was just as mean to him last year as I was this year. And he had it coming every time, for that matter. Jerk._

She heard the doorbell ring downstairs, but ignored it. "Cynthia!" her mother called. "Visitor!"

"Tell them to come on up," Cindy shouted back to her mother. Normally her mom did not approve of her shouting down the stair case, but Cindy chanced it. Her mother was usually more lenient around the holidays.

She was examining the sheet to try to figure out the best way to get the coal out (peroxide? Spray-n-clean? She wasn't sure), when Jimmy walked in. "Umm...hey."

Cindy's eyes narrowed to slits as she whirled around to face the boy genius. "What do you want, and why are you in my room?"

"Hey, do you really think I _want_ to be in a girl's room?" Jimmy gave a slight shudder as he glanced over to the boyband posters on Cindy's walls. "What do girls see in pink, anyway?"

"If you don't want to be here and I don't want you here, then why are you here?" Cindy planted her hands on her hips. Jimmy tugged at his collar.

"So...get coal?"

"What do you know about that, Nerdtron?" One eyebrow suddenly raised in suspicion.

"Huh...um...now, keep in mind that I thought Santa was a mythical construct at the time, you know, like a permanent record, the Loch Ness Monster..."

"North Dakota, according to the bumbling duo you hang out with," Cindy added. Jimmy didn't comment. "What did you do?"

"I may have added yours and Libby's names to the Naughty List when we were at the North Pole," Cindy raised her arm as though she was going to hit him, fire raging in her eyes, "Like I said, I didn't think he was real at the time...he sounded like Mel Brooks, for Pluto's sake! I thought he was just an actor! It was supposed to be a joke, and it went too far. I'm sorry, and I did hack back into his list to fix it, but I guess I wasn't fast enough. For the record, you really were on the nice list."

"Get. Out."

Deciding it wasn't worth it to continue this particular battle, Jimmy produced a small box that he placed on Cindy's bed, then left without another word. Cindy didn't speak to him for two weeks after that.

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><p><em>This year<em>

This time, Jimmy was expected when he arrived at the Vortex house. Mrs. Vortex ushered him in, then called for Cindy. The blonde hurried down the stairs and grabbed his arm, yanking the boy genius after her and rushing him into her room.

"Did you get a gift from Santa this time?" Jimmy asked, feeling nervous. If she answered negatively, it might mean that he had never correctly fixed his mistake from the previous year. Which might mean another two weeks of stony silence.

"Two. And a note apologizing for what you did last year and for him not catching it," Cindy produced a note to prove it. Jimmy had actually expected this. His own present from Santa this year (plutonium) had included a note reprimanding Jimmy for his prank last year (and a warning that Santa would deny all awareness if Jimmy used the plutonium irresponsibly).

Cindy produced three boxes. Presumably, two were from Santa, but Jimmy wasn't certain where the third box came from. "I was so mad at you last year I never opened the present you left," Cindy explained. "But I couldn't bring myself to throw it away," she opened it now. "Earrings?" she took the earrings out and examined them. At first glance, they appeared to be crystals, but after a moment of examination, she realized that the light they had seemed to be reflecting they were actually producing.

"I was trying to mimic a star effect," Jimmy explained, rubbing his neck and looking down at the floor.

Cindy smiled. "If I had known these were this nice, I might have forgiven you a lot faster last year. Thank you." She moved the box the earrings had been in and stacked one of the gifts from Santa on top of it. "That's just a letter of recommendation to any college of my choice," she explained. Jimmy smiled. They were probably the only twelve year olds he knew who would ask Santa for such a thing (then again, he supposed that not many twelve year olds, especially ones of their intelligence, still believed in Santa).

"The note said to open this one when you were with me," she explained, beckoning Jimmy forward. "You open it."

As soon as Jimmy tugged on the red ribbon that the present had been tied with, the box seemed to spring open and something zoomed around the room before stopping above the pair's head. "Mistletoe," Jimmy said, almost blankly. "Did you know that mistletoe is actually poisonous? It..." But Cindy shut him up. By pressing her lips firmly against his.

When they broke away a few minutes later, Cindy whispered "Merry Christmas, Neutron."

"Merry Christmas, Cindy."

"I've got something for you," she shoved a box into his hands. "It's not plutonium, but it should meet your needs." Jimmy opened a corner of the box to peer in.

"Hydroquantum screwdriver? How did you know my last one got busted?"

Cindy rolled her eyes. "Because I _listen_, Neutron." Jimmy handed her the present he'd selected for her. She eyed the present carefully. It fit easily in the palm of her hand.

"A key?" She said as she opened the box. "What's it to?"

"The lab."

"Really?" Cindy tried to control her excitement, but she could tell by Jimmy's amused expression that she hadn't masked it well enough. As nonchalantly as she could, she continued. "I mean, don't you use a DNA scanner?"

"This is more symbolic," he explained, "the key really will work, but the DNA scanner has now also been programmed with your DNA, so it will let you in. I've sectioned off part of the lab exclusively for your use, and you can get in any time. Just don't change any settings for VOX and stay away from anything that's behind glass."

In spite of herself, Cindy smiled. "That's actually pretty lenient, Neutron. And the nicest thing anyone's ever done for me..." she thought back, "Well, maybe not including the pearl," she indicated the pearl on the thin gold chain around her neck.

"So...it's all right, then?" Jimmy asked. Cindy rolled her eyes. Jimmy had always gotten her cool presents, even when they'd been supposed enemies. Still, he seemed almost scared to give her anything since they'd started dating.

"It's perfect, Jimmy. So, now there's just one thing left to do today..."

"And that is?"

"Something I've always wanted to say, but if you tell Sheen or Carl that, I will never admit it," Cindy dramatically pointed into the air, "To the lab!"

**Author's Note: **I think Cindy and Jimmy, once they became official, would probably have a rocky start. I'm sure they'd smooth things out as they went along, but dating can be hard, and both of them have a stubborn streak. I think a major turning point towards the right direction would be giving Cindy access to the lab, even if it is restricted a bit (much as I love Cindy, I don't think she could resist being Special Girl again if Jimmy remade the essence of N-Men powders).


	3. Shampoo and Perfume

**Author's Note: **Some Sheen/Libby and some Jimmy/Cindy in here.

Libby let the hot water rush over her as she poured herself out a third glob of shampoo. She was starting to think that the purple goop in her hair was never going to come out. "Yeah?" she responded when she heard a knock at the bathroom door.

"It took me three tries, Libs," she heard Cindy's voice from the other side of the door. "Did you manage to get it out yet?"

"Some," Libby shouted back, "I'm on my third try now, though..." she scrubbed harder, massaging her head hard with the tips of her fingers. To her relief, the gelatinous monstrosity Jimmy's latest experiment had exploded into was finally starting to wash out of her hair. She watched as it poured down the drain, noting that it smelled surprisingly pleasant for something so gross looking.

Libby hopped out of the shower once she couldn't feel the goop anymore and examined herself in the mirror. If there was anything left in her hair, she didn't see it or feel it now. She toweled herself off and got dressed, then headed to Cindy's room. Cindy's bathroom had been closer than Libby's, so they'd headed there immediately after the explosion. Cindy had taken her mother's bathroom so that Libby could use Cindy's.

Libby threw herself dramatically onto Cindy's bed. "What was that stuff supposed to be again?"

"A surprise," Cindy rolled her eyes. "Leave it to Neutron to want to surprise us with an explosion."

"At least no one got hurt," Libby offered. Cindy opened her mouth to rebuttal, but was cut off by the sound of the doorbell. "And that's Jimmy, come to apologize. Try to be nice to him, Cind. Sheen was the one who kept playing with the temperature gauge."

Cindy didn't answer. Instead, she lead the way downstairs. Sure enough, it was Jimmy at the door, but Sheen accompanied him.

"Hey, Libby," Sheen greeted her cheerfully. "I see the stuff washed out of your hair."

"Which took quite a lot of effort, by the way," Cindy said, crossing her arms and glaring at Jimmy. "What was that stuff supposed to be?"

Jimmy coughed. "Perfume."

"Wait, wait, wait," Libby shook her head, trying to figure it out. "You were making perfume for her? That was the surprise?"

"Well, for both of you," Jimmy jerked his thumb in Sheen's direction. "It was Sheen's idea, and he wanted to surprise you. Though I did veto his idea on calling in UltraLord's Secret or using guacamole as a scent."

"It would have reminded Libby of me anywhere she went," Sheen pouted. "My guacamole is made with love."

"Anyway, the composition was unstable...we were trying to fit in stuff we know you guys like, but each ingredient had a different extraction method, and I'm afraid some of the extracts should have been heated separately and used as different notes instead of combined all at once. It was my fault," Jimmy explained.

In response, Cindy grabbed his hand and pulled him into the kitchen. Sheen and Libby watched him get dragged off, each of them imagining the horrific scene that the blond would visit on the poor boy genius for her revenge.

"I'm sorry, Libby," Sheen hung his head. "I was trying to do something nice for you. Love really _is_ a battlefield..."

"Yeah, I guess Pat Benatar really hit the nail on the head with that one," Libby joked. Sheen merely looked confused.

"I don't know who this Pat guy is, but he really shouldn't be ripping off UltraLord. UltraLord said it in episode 321, 'The Hero's Lonely Heart'. Jimmy said the perfume needed to be heated at 140 degrees Fahrenheit. He had it at 60! I was just putting it on the correct temperature."

"Sheen, was the thermometer in Celsius?"

"Celsius? Is that what the C stood for? I thought it meant 'cool'. You know, like it was a cooler temperature. So...I screwed it up. Not Jimmy," Sheen said, hanging his head with the realization. "I'm really sorry, Libilicious," Sheen went to his knees and wrapped his arms around her legs. "Can you ever forgive me? I swear on my UltraLord extra deluxe action pack kit that I will make this right! I shall be as a slave to you!"

Libby smiled and shook her head. "No. Sheen, you're going to take me to the Candy Bar. Your treat. Then we'll call it even."

"Really?"

"Really. Also, stop calling me Libilicious."

"You got it, oh Diva of My Heart!"

"Not that, either!"

Cindy and Jimmy watched as Sheen and Libby left together. "All right, Neutron," Cindy said once the door had closed. "You tried to take the blame even though I know you would have researched each ingredient to make sure that they could be safely combined. So why were you trying to take the fall?"

"Safely combined!" Jimmy scoffed. "It was stuff like jasmine and rose, why would I worry about it being safe?" Cindy raised her eyebrows. "Okay, so I may have looked up all of the information to make sure they were complimentary scents and could be combined safely with a base of artificial ambergris I invented, but that doesn't mean I didn't miss something in my research and...all right, fine, I was trying to make sure Sheen didn't look bad in front of Libby. Are you happy now?"

Cindy rolled her eyes. "Really, Neutron, was that so hard to say?"

"You're not mad?"

"For once, your invention backfiring wasn't your fault. And you were making it for me and for my best friend. Plus, when it did explode, you were willing to take on the blame so your best friend wouldn't look bad in front of the girl he likes. So no, I'm not mad."

"Oh. Well...okay, then." Jimmy really had expected a yelling fit, so he felt oddly deflated at the moment. But somehow, more relaxed. Like things were starting to get easier.

"C'mon. Let's go to the Candy Bar and make sure those two are all right. I'll even pay this time," Cindy surprised him by grabbing his hand. "and...thanks, Jimmy."

"For what?"

"For being sweet enough to think of me, and kind enough to try to help your friend...even if he was too dumb not to admit to it," she planted a kiss on his cheek. "So...just thanks for being you, I guess."


	4. Old Rivals

**Author's Note: **I, like many others, hated Betty Quinlin when she first appeared. After all, she was further complicating the Jimmy/Cindy relationship, and I just couldn't have that. Years later, I realize how ridiculous I was being. She pretty much existed just to make Cindy jealous to further her relationship with Jimmy – not to hold it back. So I guess this chapter is sort of an apology (it is Jimmy/Cindy, I honestly do not know what I'd do with a chapter just on Betty) to that character and for maybe screaming more than once about going after her with a pitch fork. Plus she's voiced by Kath Soucie, and that woman has done some awesome voice acting.

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><p>This was the third time.<p>

Strike that.

Cindy bit her lower lip in agitation as for the now _fourth_ time today, Betty Quinlin and her group of friends ended up in the line for the same ride as herself and Jimmy, only separated by a handful of people. Cindy openly glared back at the older girl.

"You're going to draw blood if you keep doing that," Jimmy pointed out. "Is something bothering you?" Cindy shook her head. "Okay. Well, if nothing's wrong you should probably stop biting your lip so hard and looking so mad..."

"I. am not. Mad," Cindy grunted through clenched teeth, her eyes focused on Betty. Jimmy glanced over to see what held his girlfriend's attention.

"Are you glaring at Betty Quinlin?"

It was the wrong question to ask.

"Of course not!" Cindy crossed her arms, "I didn't even notice Miss I'm-So-Beautiful-and-Perfect over there, but you sure did, didn't you?"

"Not until I saw what you were looking at," Jimmy shrugged. "What does it matter?"

"'What does it matter?'" Cindy repeated, incredulous. "I had to watch you make goo goo eyes at her and make a fool out of yourself in front of her for months, Neutron! Do you know how that felt?"

Jimmy considered it for a moment. "I suppose," he said slowly, "It felt kind of like I did when I saw Useless Strych flirting with you or you dancing with Timmy Turner...when you were supposed to be _my_ date, by the way," he added the last part bitterly.

"Can I recant?" Cindy asked, shaking her head and smiling at him. "I forgot about all the times you got jealous over me-"

"I was not jealous," Jimmy insisted defiantly, "I was merely...concerned. You were my friend at that point, I didn't want to see you get hurt by some buck-toothed jerk. And both of them _were_ buck-toothed. Do you have a thing for that?"

Cindy rolled her eyes. "Oh yeah, I love the beaver types. Look, we both made mistakes and spent some time making the other jealous, even if we didn't realize it at the time," she glanced back at Betty, who was laughing at something one of her friends had just said to her. "Excuse me a moment."

"Oh, hey, Cindy," Betty said when the blond approached.

"Can the small talk," Cindy said, grabbing Betty's wrist, "You and I need to talk."

"Um, okay, sure," the older girl agreed. "So, what's this all about?" Betty asked when Cindy finally came to a halt several feet away, near the Bat Outta Heck ride. "I noticed you glaring at me earlier...are you and Jimmy here on a date?"

"Yeah, about the glaring. ...I'm sorry. And I guess I do want to thank you for giving him up...you know, back when he was playing magician to get your attention..."

"Giving him up?" Betty repeated, then shook her head. Cindy noted with irritation the kind, understanding smile Betty was giving her now. Even when she'd despised the very idea of Betty Quinlin, she'd realized that the girl _was_ pretty. Which had just served to make Cindy hate her more. "I wasn't giving him up, Cindy. He was never mine to give away."

"Say what now?"

Betty laughed. "Wow. You two may be geniuses, but you really do have a hard time with this kind of stuff, huh?" She didn't wait for an answer. "Jimmy had a crush on me, Cindy. And he was sweet, and I did like him. A lot, actually-"

"Please tell me this story has a different point than the one I'm thinking."

"It does. Don't rush me. As I was saying, Neutron's a very sweet guy, and truth be told, I liked him back."

"But you didn't go for it with him," Cindy pointed out. "Why?"

"Because not long after he had that dance party I saw how the two of you talked to each other. Cindy, he had a crush on me, one that was going to end eventually and was just hormones. But you...you challenge him, you're actually on his level. You get him in a way no one else ever will." Betty smiled and gave Cindy a pat on the back. "In the end, I just couldn't compete with you. I never gave him to you. I just decided not to waste my time with something that could never last."

Uncertain of what else to say, Cindy muttered a "Well...okay, then." before starting to walk back to where Jimmy was waiting in line.

"For the record, you two look cute together," Betty called after her. Cindy halted while she waited for Betty to finish talking. "But be careful. If you're too possessive or if you berate him the way you used to, you may lose him. And if I stepped aside for him and then you break his heart..."

"Don't worry about that," Cindy called back. She and Betty parted completely, Betty returning to her friends just as Cindy got back in line with Jimmy.

"Is everything all right? You didn't hit her, did you?"

"No, I didn't hurt her. Quinlin and I have an...understanding."

"I don't want to know," Jimmy shook his head. "Girls...one minute you hate each other, the next you're best friends."

Cindy laughed. "Oh? And what about us?"

"What about _us_?"

"One minute we hate each other, the next we..." she trailed off.

"Love each other?" Jimmy finished for her. Cindy grabbed his hand and gave it a squeeze before she rested her head on his shoulder.

"Something like that."


	5. Sage Advice for the Lonely Hearts

**Author's Note: **Thank you to everyone who has reviewed. I greatly appreciate you taking that time. And now, Carl at least gets a bit part, because I've been ignoring him (and let's face it, all fanfiction could do with more llamas)

**Some Sheen/Libby, Jimmy/Cindy **

Carl's shoes squeaked when he walked. Always. Jimmy had noticed it when they first met in 3rd grade, and it had first been irritating, then a welcome greeting heralding a dear friend. And now it was back to some level of irritation. Because nowadays it always came right before an interruption.

He leaned away from Cindy and she gave him a questioning look until she, too, heard the ominous squeaking. She sighed and scooted over as Carl plopped down between the couple. Lunch times in the cafeteria at school were always kind of awkward for the couple (they hadn't been dating long and they weren't sure how to deal with the other kids watching), but Carl always being right there made it so much worse.

"Hey, Jimmy, hey, Cindy," Carl was completely oblivious to the glare Cindy gave him or the exasperated look Jimmy was giving him.

Jimmy shot a look at Cindy that said clearly 'I know, I know, but he's my best friend'. She rolled her eyes, but nodded.

"So, I was wondering..."Carl started, then broke off, staring down at the cafeteria table.

"Is this about llamas?" Cindy and Jimmy asked in unison.

"No!"

"Is it about llama themed video games?" Cindy suggested.

"Or a llama cartoon?" Jimmy thought aloud.

Carl shook his head vehemently. "It has _nothing_ to do with llamas."

"Pinch me, Neutron," Cindy said, offering her arm, "Clearly I am either dreaming or I've entered an alternate reality." She considered for a moment. "Or does this have to do with food?"

"It's not about food! It's about," Carl paused dramatically, "the heart."

"Does the heart want llamas? Or does the heart just want what the heart wants?" Cindy muttered, but Carl either didn't hear her or pretended he hadn't.

"How do you make a girl your girlfriend?" Carl asked it in a whisper, but both Cindy and Jimmy caught it. "I just..."

"Elkie liked you tons, Carl, I'm sure if you just asked her," Jimmy said reasonably before taking a large bite out of his salami sandwich. He waited until he didn't have a full mouth to speak again. "That is who this is about, right?"

Carl merely shook his head.

"How did you ask Cindy?"

Jimmy considered it. "Well, I..."

Cindy snorted. "How did he ask me what, exactly?"

"To be his girlfriend."

"Well, I-" Before Jimmy could complete his statement, Cindy interjected.

"He never did." She looked almost triumphant. "I'm not even sure I _am_ Neutron's girlfriend."

"Since when are you not sure?" Jimmy asked irritably. "We've been dating for approximately 3 months, 27 days, 4 hours and..." he checked his watch "5 minutes and 14.3 seconds. How are you _not_ my girlfriend?"

"Well, Jimmy," Cindy put her fingers together at the tips, making a small tent with her hands. "There is the fact that you _never asked me_. For all I know, we're just seeing each other casually and I'm free to go out with Nick next Saturday night."

"Now wait a neutronic minute! That's not fair and you know it, Vortex! What if I went out with Betty Quinlin?"

"Who says I'd care?"

"Well who says I'm your boyfriend?"

"Apparently you, if I'm your girlfriend!"

Carl took the back and forth bickering as his cue to leave. He spied Sheen and Libby a few tables away and plopped down beside Sheen.

"What are those two fighting about now?" Libby asked as she watched her best friend and the school's biggest brainiac go back and forth for a while.

"I think I caused it..." Carl said meekly. "I just asked how Jimmy asked Cindy out and then...they just started fighting. THEY'RE TEARING US APART!"

"Carl, what have we said about quoting soap operas?" Libby asked patiently.

"Not to."

"Aww, but he's getting better! I really _did_ believe him this time!" Sheen said enthusiastically. Libby grabbed his hand as he tried to sneak a cookie from her lunch box.

"No."

"So how did Sheen ask you, Libby?" Carl tried.

"Ask me what?" Libby responded as she smacked Sheen's hand away a second time from her lunch box.

"To be his girlfriend. How did he ask?"

"Pshaw!" Sheen decided to field the question. "She was all over me. In fact, I'm pretty sure she asked me to be her boyfriend." He looked pensive for a moment. "Where does the word 'pshaw' come from, anyway? It sounds like pea and someone named Shaw...maybe he hated peas so much that when someone brought anything up that he thought was silly, he made a comparison?"

"You're crazy, aren't you?" Libby asked Sheen, finally offering him the cookie he had kept trying to sneak. "Look, Carl, sometimes you don't actually ask the person. Sometimes you just sort of fit together and things fall into place without a formal agreement. Saying the words are nice, but it doesn't have to always be by the book."

"Or you can have her sign a contract," Sheen suggested, "but then you have to pay a notary or it won't be legally binding."

"Love is complicated," Carl sighed, suddenly reaching into his pocket and taking out a picture. He clasped it between both hands. "Is there a shortcut?"

"Sure!" Sheen chirped. "UltraLord mating rituals, voodoo spells, threatening to imprison her father if she won't agree to marry you..." Libby elbowed him hard in the ribs. "Oww! But he _asked_ for short cuts!" Sheen leaned in and whispered "Any of those ways would probably be easier than what Libby's telling you" conspiratorially to Carl.

"I have a lot to think about. Thanks, guys," Carl looked back in Jimmy and Cindy's direction. The pair had stopped fighting and were now holding hands and chatting animatedly as though the fight had never happened. He glanced down at the photo in his hand. "I still don't think I get it, Judy..." he said as he wandered into the cafeteria line to finally grab his lunch.

"...did he just say 'Judy'?" Libby asked after Carl had walked off.

"Yeah, so?"

"So, isn't that Jimmy's mom?"

Sheen made a face. "No way. She's way old." He polished off his cookie before putting an arm around Libby. "Do you think we fit together?"

"Like a puzzle. A really nerdy, mixed up, weird puzzle."


	6. Tears

**Author's note: **I wrote this for two reasons. 1. Because I think, like many other fans, that Cindy didn't have the best environment in her home (I can't think of a single time her dad spoke, and he was rarely seen with her mother. Her mother was very obviously abrasive and overbearing, pushing her daughter to succeed). 2. If I read another fanfic where Cindy spends Every. Chapter. Crying. I will scream. Yes, she's a young girl. Crying can happen in hard situations, but she's such a cool, tough character that it's unrealistic she spends half of her time bawling her eyes out. Also, I've decided to call Cindy's dad Ted. I don't think they ever gave him a real name. If they did, please let me know so I can edit.

"It's just so sad," Judy was saying to Hugh as she pushed a quiche his way. "And what will Jimmy think?"

"Oh, Sugar Booger," Hugh shook his head as he animatedly took a bite of the quiche. "Quiche is sort of like pie. It has a crisp, flaky crust. I'm sure Jim-Jam won't mind."

Judy patted her husband on his hand as she shook her head. "You haven't been listening, Hugh. This isn't about pie...or quiche, for that matter," she headed him off before he could ask. "It seemed like just gossip at first, but I ran into Ted Vortex at the supermarket and he said it was all true."

"That's too bad," Hugh agreed. "But uh, honey, what exactly turned out to be true?"

"Oh, Hugh," Judy rolled her eyes. "The Vortexes are getting a divorce."

"No!"

"Yes. Ted said he and Sasha have been drifting apart for a while. It was inevitable."

"And when you say inevitable-"

"Who gets custody of Cindy?" Neither of Jimmy's parents had seen him until that moment. He'd been in the hallway, eavesdropping. When they didn't answer, he pressed, "Who gets custody? She's still a minor, so someone gets here, and...Holy Heisenberg, what if they move!"

"Jimmy," Judy got up and hugged her son. "It's going to be all right. Sometimes people just don't work out..."

"I know, mom. The statistics for divorce tend to be around fifty percent of all marriages in the United States. It's not like no one saw it coming. I just ...will Cindy be all right?"

"Why don't you go over and check on her, son?" Hugh suggested. "You can take her some of your mom's delightful quiche! It's like a pie you can eat for dinner!"

"I'm not sure she'd care for it," Jimmy shook his head. "But thanks, dad. Mom, is it all right if I..."

Judy nodded. "Of course. Be back by eight. Is your homework done?" Jimmy nodded. "Okay, you can come back at nine, then. But absolutely no later than that. And be careful, Jimmy. Cindy might be really hurting right now. She needs you to be supportive. Listen more than you talk."

Jimmy took his leave then, practically running across the street to Cindy's. There was no answer when he rang the doorbell. He waited a few minutes before activating the hover chips in his shoes to levitate up to Cindy's window. He tapped on the glass when he saw her familiar form. She didn't look up. She had her knees huddled all the way to her chest with her arms resting on them. She had her head resting on her arms. Finally, he pried the window open and came inside without her consent, reaching out for her as soon as his feet touched the floor.

"What?" she snapped. She softened when she saw it was Jimmy. "What do you look so shocked about, Neutron?"

"You aren't crying."

"Am I supposed to be?"

"Well..." he trailed off. Yes seemed the obvious answer to him, but maybe the situation wasn't as dire as he'd thought.

"Fifty percent."

"Huh?"

"The divorce rate," she answered, "It's fifty percent. For first marriages, anyway. It's higher for the second ones. I knew the statistics, but I still didn't think it would happen to my parents. Is that crazy? I told myself that mom ignored dad because she was trying to make a better future for me. That he was quiet around her because he was being polite."

"I don't think you're crazy, Cindy." Jimmy offered. He sat on the edge of her bed and awkwardly patted her on the back. "It's normal to be upset about something like this."

"I am _not_ upset. I'm...I'm mad!"

"When are you not?" The words were out before Jimmy had thought them through.

"Do you really think I need this right now?" Cindy's eyes narrowed and she crossed her arms. "If you just came over to make a pest of yourself, you may as well leave now."

"Cindy, I'm trying to help!"

"How? How, Neutron, do you think you're going to make my parents divorcing all better? Do you have an invention for that?" Her voice was getting a hard edge now, the words becoming meaner. "Oh, that's right, it would probably just blow up in our faces...literally! You can't help me right now."

Jimmy surprised Cindy by hugging her at that moment. He wasn't angered or even upset by her outburst. He knew by now that it was just her way of letting off steam. She didn't mean it, and more importantly, she was hurting right now. "It's going to be all right, Cindy. I can't make this better, and I can't make your parents get back together. But I'm going to be here for you. Stop pushing me away."

Cindy felt herself melt into him as she rested her head on his shoulder. She wrapped her arms around him and she suddenly felt warm and safe. They stayed their like that, silent, for a few minutes.

"You don't have to be so angry. It's a natural response, one of the seven stages of grief...but it's not the _only_ stage."

"Why do you have to ruin the moment?" Cindy leaned away from him and her green eyes looked straight into his blue ones. He realized when he'd been holding her, she'd allowed herself to cry. It didn't look like many tears had fallen, but he could tell it was enough for her.

"Cindy...you know you're really strong, right?" She nodded.

"And don't you forget it."

"Are you going to be okay?" Jimmy finally released her. Cindy nodded.

"I'll be fine. Thanks, Jimmy. I'm still upset, and to be honest, I'm even still kind of angry. But I'll get it figured out, and I'm not so self centered that I think this is the end of the world."

"Just call me if you need me, okay, Vortex?"

Cindy rolled her eyes. "I don't need anybody, Neutron." Jimmy shrugged as he started to climb out the window. "Still...I am glad that I have you."


	7. A Serious Question

**Author's Note: **Woo! Future sap tastic story! **Jimmy/Cindy**.

"Roses. Put it in a rose, and then maybe you could sneak it into her food," Carl suggested. Jimmy shook his head.

"The whole ring in food thing has been done to death, and there's the risk of choking on it," he shook his admittedly large head again. "Any other ideas?"

Carl, Jimmy and Sheen were in Jimmy's apartment. Carl was reclining on the couch, Jimmy was pacing back and forth and Sheen was in a desk chair that he was currently swiveling back and forth, not paying any attention to the current conversation.

Carl and Jimmy were now twenty-three and done with college (including a graduate course for Jimmy), and Sheen was twenty-five and working as a male model. He hadn't bothered to continue his education. The current topic was one that Jimmy had been stressing over for the past two weeks:

How to ask Cindy Vortex to marry him.

The pair had dated from the time they were eleven until they were thirteen, and then they were on again and off again all through high school. Both were high strung and spent most of their college years focusing on their school work and ignoring the opposite sex. But after graduation, the pair had met up again and realized that spark had never gone away. They'd been back together for a year now.

"C'mon, think...Sheen, can you contribute to this?" Jimmy asked irritably.

Sheen stopped twirling the chair. "Have you considered asking her in a big public display?"

"You mean to confirm that I care enough about her to make a big, grandiose gesture?"

"What?" Sheen balked at this idea. "No! I mean because she's less likely to turn it down if it's in public. It'd make her look heartless."

"Don't ask us, Jim," Carl suggested, "We're still single."

"I'm not single, I just refuse to remain attached," Sheen sniffed indignantly.

"C'mon, guys, this is Cindy. We've known her since the third grade. What would be the best way for me to ask her?"

"Let her beat you at trivia?" Carl suggested.

"Beg? Plead? Sign a contract?" Sheen offered.

"Gas Planets...I didn't think this would be so hard. Goddard! Options!"

The robot dog barked before obediently displaying his GTV screen.

_Put the ring in her wine glass._

"We already decided against that, boy."

_Ask her father for permission for her hand._

"Nu-huh. Cindy would kill me and say I was implying that she couldn't make decisions for herself and that I was causing the feminist movement to retrograde."

_Simply ask._

"This is _Cindy_. I think she's looking for a big gesture."

Five minutes later, Goddard had suggested everything from asking her on a game show to hiring an entire circus and Jimmy still wasn't sure what to do. "Thanks for your help. You tried," Jimmy fed Goddard an aluminum can. "I guess I'll just have to figure this one out."

* * *

><p>"You seem awfully quiet tonight," Cindy pointed out as she took a sip from her wine glass.<p>

"Do I?" Jimmy laughed nervously.

"Anxious, too..." Cindy leaned in, carefully analyzing what she saw. "All right, what is it? I've already told you there's no way to get out of going to my mother's birthday party."

"It's not that."

"So what is it?"

"Nothing!"

"You've been fidgety and agitated all night, Neutron. Just tell me what's wrong. You _can_ trust me, you know. I'm not ten years old and trying to sneak into your lab any more. So, out with it."

"Well..." Jimmy began to drum his fingers on the table, studying his fingers as they moved as though they were the most interesting things in the world at that moment. "It's just...you and I have been together a while now, and I was thinking..."

"Yes?'

"It's just..."

"Go on."

"Well, I...Cindy...umm..."

"Out with it already, Neutron!" Cindy insisted a little more loudly than she had meant to. "Sorry. I mean, just tell me what it is."

"Okay, here it goes. I just-"

Cindy rolled her eyes. "You know what? Me first. You're taking too long."

"Okay. I mean, I guess it can wait," Jimmy tried to hide his relief. He just couldn't figure out the right words to ask her. Maybe he could think of it while she explained what ever news she had.

"Jimmy, I've been thinking. We've been together for a while, even if it was off-and-on. But I do love you," she grabbed his hand and squeezed. "I have for a long time, and I don't think I ever stopped, even during the times we weren't seeing each other. The point is..." She stood up and produced a box from her hand. She opened it to reveal a silver ring. "James Isaac Neutron...will you marry me?"

* * *

><p>"What happened?" Jimmy asked as he sat up in bed. "I feel like a train hit me."<p>

"Nope. You fainted and a waiter didn't see you on the floor. He kind of kicked you in the head by accident and then dropped a whole tray on you. Surprised the soup and drinks didn't wake you up. You scared me back there," Cindy had apparently been holding his hand the entire time he had been passed out. "The restaurant called you the ambulance. They also said the meal's on them."

"Ah. So...what happened that made me pass out?" He couldn't remember if Cindy's proposal had been real or just a dream.

"I asked you to marry me, Neutron." Cindy said it calmly, but Jimmy winced. It hadn't been the best response he could have had to her question.

"Passing out should not be taken as an indication that I was turning you down."

"I know."

"You do?"

Cindy smirked and then held up her left hand. The ring Jimmy had picked out for her was resting comfortably on her ring finger. "Because it seems you were getting ready to ask me the same thing. I hope you don't think this was presumptuous of me. The ring fell out of your pocket when you hit the floor."

"No...it's all right. But this means you will, right?

"Of course. But on one condition."

"And that is...?" Jimmy rubbed his now throbbing head. Cindy leaned in and kissed him on the forehead.

"If you pass out during the wedding, I am going to _kill_ you, Neutron."

Jimmy smirked and pulled her into his arms. "All right. Deal."

**Author's Note: **The main reason I wrote this was, sadly, so I could use the line of Sheen's about why people do big, public proposals. Some may wonder why I had that Sheen is single in here, rather than with Libby. It's sort of a personal belief, based off of my own experiences. I'd rather not go into detail, but this is merely conjecture and has no bearing on canon, so feel free to ignore me and my theories. I also firmly believe it is okay for the woman to ask a man to marry her if she wishes to.


	8. Ticket to Ride

**Author's Note: **This is a sad story. It is what I think would realistically happen to a relationship like Libby and Sheen's. Please note that if you do not like it, it is not canon. If you do not like sad things, I recommend skipping this one shot. I didn't want to write it, but my other stories refused to come until this one was finished.

**Future fic. Senior year.**

"It's different this time," Libby hugged herself for comfort. She and Sheen were sitting together on the usual bench they met one another at in the morning.

"So you said last time," Sheen insisted. "I can't really believe it's true this time. C'mon, Libs," he attempted to put his arm around her. She gently lifted it off and shook her head. "What's so different? I'm still me."

"Yes. You are. And you're sweet, Sheen. You really are. You're one of the nicest guys I know. But..."

"Uh-oh," Sheen frowned. "Conjunctions are always trouble. I've thought so ever since I first heard that song about 'em. Why else would someone bother to spray paint those words on boxcars? I mean, think about it, most-"

"Not right now, Sheen."

"I'm not going to be able to talk you out of it this time, am I?"

Libby seemed to ignore the question. "I got into that music school I wanted."

"That's great! I could follow you. I know it's half way across the country, but I don't mind. ...if that's all this about, it's not a problem. I'm not even going to college."

"You're smart enough that you could," she tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "Sheen, don't get me wrong. I love you. I do. But I don't want you following me. We're eighteen now. Doesn't that mean anything to you?"

"Yeah, I don't have to get someone else to buy ultra violent video games for me and I can buy lottery tickets." He thought for a moment. "I guess I can legally vote now, too."

"It's not just that the school is in New York. It's that we're both growing up. I'm changing."

"But I'm not?" Sheen asked carefully. Libby finally made eye contact with him.

"You've grown up, Sheen, but you still spend your Saturdays watching cartoons. It'd be fine if that wasn't the _only_ thing you were doing. You're sweet, and you're funny, and you're smarter than you give yourself credit for. But it's time to grow up."

"And what, give up UltraLord?"

"If that's what growing up means to you. But I think it's taking charge of your life. Making your own decisions and doing what you want to do. What you _need_ to do. Not going with what's easy. Sometimes you do have to let things from your childhood go. Not everything. Just-"

"Just the ones that get in the way?"

Libby turned away again. She couldn't face Sheen when he looked this miserable. If she looked into those sad brown eyes, she'd lose all resolve.

And that was the problem. She could tell what would happen. If she looked back, she'd stay in Retroville with Sheen. It wouldn't be all bad. It might even be a happy life, but she'd have given up on her dreams to do so. One day she would wake up and start to despise Sheen for it. No matter what, she was determined to only think of him fondly.

Even if that fondness was only felt when viewing a memory.

"I'm sorry."

Those were the last words she said to him that day. She refused to see him until he came by her house to say goodbye a few weeks after graduation. Still, she avoided looking him in the eye. Her official going away party had been yesterday, and Sheen hadn't attended. Cindy had just left after saying her own goodbyes. She'd thought when the doorbell rang that Cindy had just decided to say another farewell. Instead, Sheen was standing there, with an offer to help her load her bags into the car.

"You'll do great out there, Libby," Sheen said, grabbing her and pulling her into a hug. "Knock 'em dead. Just you know...not literally. But if you do, Jimmy has some great lawyers for when his experiments go too far."

Libby chuckled. "I'll keep that in mind, Sheen."

"Any hope of a goodbye kiss?" He studied her face for a moment. "Nope. Didn't think so, but it was worth a shot. Have fun out there. Don't work yourself to death."

He watched as she got into the passenger's seat of the car. She and her dad seemed to take an eternity just to back out of the driveway. And then they were off to the airport. Now time was going too fast, and the car was moving out of his line of vision, becoming a faint dot on the horizon. Sheen stood frozen in the Folfaxes' yard. There went the girl he'd loved for years now. His first love. He'd wanted to throw himself at her and beg her to stay. He'd wanted to run after the car. He'd thought about ignoring her wishes and showing up in New York next week.

But Libby was wrong.

Sheen had changed.

Maybe he hadn't grown up to the extent one would expect of a twenty year old man. Maybe (probably, he conceded to himself), he never would.

But he was knowledgeable enough to know that sometimes you have to let the one you love go. Sometimes they came back to you. Sometimes they didn't. Sheen had a feeling at that moment that Libby was gone to him forever, but he found that this didn't bother him as much as he'd expected.

They'd always be friends. He'd be there for her the second she got off the plane for winter vacation. But whether they'd fall back in love, he couldn't say. All he knew at that moment was that Libby was going to do great things, and that he was proud of her for it.

"Well," he said, sighing, "Guess we'll always have Retroville."


	9. Photographs

**Author's note: **I will update whenever I can, but I go through a lot of dry spells where I have no ideas. I rewatched some parts of League of Villains recently, and this idea popped up. Have fun.

"Is this _really _necessary? I promised I'd do it, you don't have to stand over me like this." Jimmy reached under his desk and pulled out yet another picture of Betty Quinlan. Cindy glared at the picture.

"If you have this many pictures of her," Cindy crossed her arms, "Then yes, I'd say it's necessary. How many more of these do you have, Neutron? I think we're up to the 100s!"

Honestly, she was starting to feel more down than angry. She'd found multiple pictures of Betty stashed through the lab, but only one of herself and that had been bitten into by the Girl Eating Plant. It was only now, after she and Jimmy had started dating, that she'd come by to make sure he'd followed through on his promise to throw all of Betty's pictures out.

"Oh, c'mon, Vortex, I do not have that many!"

"Goddard!" Cindy called, slipping an aluminum can out of her back pack and waving in front of the mechanical dog. "This is all yours if you give me a calculation on how many pictures of Betty Jimmy has in his lab...and any other places."

Goddard barked his agreement to the deal before popping his screen open. _Calculating...calculating...As of last count, Jimmy had one hundred and forty-two pictures of Betty_.

"Good boy," Cindy said through gritted teeth, handing him the can. Goddard barked happily once more and greedily chomped through his treat.

"Cindy, it's not how it sounds..."

"It sounds like you were completely obsessed with her. More than a hundred photos, Neutron?! What did you even need that many for?"

Jimmy rubbed his neck as he tried to figure out exactly how to explain the situation. "I needed back ups. Someone kept slipping in and taking them or destroying them. I found a few that someone took my blow torch to, and some just disappeared." Cindy raised an eyebrow.

"Who? You didn't start letting me into your lab until recently and Libby's not allowed in here, either, so who was doing it?"

Jimmy shrugged. "I don't know, but I started keeping more since it kept happening. I'm sorry. I didn't know things would work out this way," He dumped one pile of the pictures in front of the Girl Eating Plant (which of course was being kept a safe distance away from Cindy for her own safety) and the other he started ripping up himself. "I meant to get rid of them when we got together but I kept forgetting they were there. I just wasn't looking for them anymore."

Cindy allowed herself a small smile and started tearing up photos as well. "I'm glad you're following through on your promise now, though, Jimmy. Umm...maybe you could keep a photo of me around?"

Jimmy blushed a bit and then pointed over by his computer. There was a picture there of Cindy placed in a heart shaped (realistically human heart shaped, not the usual valentine's heart) frame. It was a candid photo of her looking off into the distance. She remembered that day – their first real date, when they'd had a picnic at Retroville's park. "Oh," She said softly. "When did you get a chance to do that? I don't remember a camera."

"Goddard took it. I wanted something to remember the day."

"You have an eidetic memory, Neutron, wouldn't you anyway?"

"Yeah, but sometimes it just doesn't feel real," Jimmy admitted, looking at the floor. "I mean, I always thought you were..." he dropped his voice so she had to strain to hear the next word "kind of ...you know, pretty," his voice got louder, a bit more confident, "but I never really though we'd end up together. Not until the island. Sometimes I think this might just be another prank."

"I'm not that mean, Jimmy," she hugged him tightly, "I could never do something like that. I lo—like you a lot. Now c'mon. It's probably best we set fire to these outside of your lab," she indicated the remainder of the Betty photos.

* * *

><p>Libby leaned back against the tree trunk, feeling slightly bored. She was hanging out with Sheen and Carl, the latter of whom was off chasing a squirrel who had stolen his candy bar. "I'm glad Jimmy's finally throwing out those Betty photos, but does it really have to take them this long? They were supposed to meet us here a half an hour ago."<p>

"I'm just glad he's finally getting rid of them," Sheen shrugged. "It was getting more and more difficult to get rid of the photos when Jimmy wasn't looking."

Libby felt her jaw drop and had to force her mouth closed again. Sheen suddenly started avoiding eye contact with her. "So all those pictures Jimmy had of Quinlan...you were the one getting rid of them?"

"It's a lovely day, far too nice to spend outside. Let's go play the UltraLord Bored Game – for ages eight and up."

"Nu-huh. You are not getting out of this conversation. Spill it."

"Well, you told me Cindy likes Jimmy and she felt hurt every time she saw one of those pictures."

"Since when do you care about Cindy's feelings?" Libby pushed herself off the ground and put a hand on her hip. "Last week you called her a shrew and then asked me what that word meant. Then you said it definitely still applied."

"Yeah, and I got a really cool bruise out of it, check it out!" Sheen rolled his sleeve up and indicated a now purpling bruise on his shoulder. "If you squint really hard, it's a map of Texas!"

"You're trying to distract me. Back to the point of the conversation: why were you taking those photos?"

"Some I didn't take. I also burned a few."

"Tell me why you did it. Now."

"Cindy's your best friend so you were upset that she was upset, so I wanted to do something about it. And Jimmy's my best friend and he was going to miss out on what he wanted cause he was stuck on something else. I was just trying to help..."

Libby smiled and patted Sheen on the back before planting a kiss on his cheek. "I think that's wonderful. You're a good guy, Sheen."

Sheen smiled back at her. "I guess a good guy would go help Carl get his candy back?" Libby nodded. "Ok. I just hope I don't get rabies ...again."


	10. Trust

**Author's Note: ** So this was an idea rolling around in my head. I think Cindy will remain kind of jealous, even though she finally got what she wanted. I think that may be a little tiring for Jimmy, though not a deal breaker. So...here we go

"_Another _message from April?!" Cindy was glaring at the message rock and looked like she was willing to attempt to smash it.

"I haven't gotten one since after we defeated Melbar."

"That's still two messages too many, Neutron," Cindy sniffed and crossed her arms. "Do you want me to leave you alone with the rock?"

Jimmy rolled his eyes and pressed play.

_Greetings, Jimmy Neutron. I hope you are well. Our new line up includes a show on a boy genius. I hope you won't mind. We also got rid of all the reality programs Melbar had included. I know we have not spoken much since your last...email, I believe is what you called it –_

Cindy paused the message. "I thought this was only the second time she messaged you?"

"I meant in this format. I've emailed her a few times."

Cindy pressed play again, knowing that it was probably just going to make her angry but feeling she had to know.

_But I have been busy, as I'm sure you have as well. I am sorry I previously called your intended mate homely. She was definitely a big help in destroying Melbar's plans. I am certain you will have a happy life together, and hope you will come to visit me again soon. Fare well, Jimmy Neutron._

"There, see?" Jimmy crossed his arms just as Cindy was uncrossing hers. "I told her about us dating. Cindy, when are you going to start trusting me?"

"Well...I..."

Jimmy raised an eyebrow. It had felt like a long time since he'd gotten the upper hand in their lover's spats and he wasn't about to waste the opportunity. "Yes?"

Cindy exhaled for a long time. "I know I can be overbearing and jealous. I'm working on it, I promise. It's just that I thought I was making it obvious how I felt about you when you were actively going after Sally or Betty or April...but you were still ignoring me. I can't shake the feeling that maybe I was your only option. Betty basically told me she was giving me you, Sally was never really an option and April's several parsecs away. I don't like thinking I was your last choice."

"Oh, c'mon, Vortex. You were hinting about you liking me in between threatening me or mocking me. _They_ were nice to me."

"Ouch. Okay, I deserved that," she started staring intently at the ground, "I didn't know how to deal with it. When you first moved here, it was easy to hate you. You got better grades than me without trying, the teachers liked you better...it felt like you'd displaced me entirely. Then the Yolkians took our parents and I realized you were actually kind of a nice guy who just messed up sometimes. I didn't want to hurt you, but I didn't think anyone would get it if I suddenly made it clear that I had feelings for you. I fell into a really bad habit because I was trying to protect myself. No offense, Jimmy, but you are the biggest nerd in Retroville."

"Really hoping that is not the whole point of what you're trying to say to me, Cindy."

"It's not, I promise. It's just...what if I couldn't get you? What if I couldn't get what everyone perceived as a dork? I knew better, I knew what a sweet guy you could be, but if you rejected me? Then what? So I kept trying to push it down, disguising it as meanness. You'd be surprised to know that after awhile, I started feeling miserable every time I insulted you. Not always, I mean, I love a good prank-" she stopped when she noticed the glare on Jimmy's face. "Ok, so I'm a pretty big jerk. But being with you makes me want to be a better person."

"But your whole point is you'd be upset because people would make fun of you if you couldn't even get 'the biggest nerd in Retroville' to like you?"

"It doesn't sound so good when you say it. Honestly, I liked you so much and at the end I didn't care what other people thought. But I didn't think you wanted to be with me because there was always some other girl in the way. Yeah, I made Betty disappear, but that didn't go as well as I expected..."

"You got yourself and my friends stuck in another dimension."

"Well, obviously that is not what I expected, Neutron!" Cindy's voice had gained back her usual sharp tone before softening again. "I react in these dumb ways sometimes. I know I'm smart...maybe not as smart as you, but when it comes to you sometimes my head gets all jumbled up and I'll convince myself that the dumbest ideas I have are actually brilliant, so long as it got you to notice me."

"Cindy, did you really think it's possible for me to ignore you?"

"Not if I constantly called you jerk, or Nerdtron or Whipped Cream Head..."

"Ok, admittedly, that is harder to ignore. But I always noticed you, even the times you weren't being a jerk. I wish you could have realized that. Might of saved me a few pies to the face."

"Well, you can't beat the classics."

"So I've heard," Jimmy rolled his eyes. "If we're going to be together, we have to trust each other. I don't talk to Betty Quinlan anymore since I'm not interested in her and we were never really friends, I told April about us and ...well, I don't even know what Sally's up to these days. Do you trust me now?"

"It's never been about trusting you. I trust you. And for the record, I emailed Timmy Turner and told him about us-"

"You still talk to Turner?!" Now it was Jimmy's turn to be upset.

"In about the same way you talk to April. He knows about us, and I think he's happy for us. Honestly, I haven't even heard from him for the last month. Jimmy, do you trust me?"

"Yes, I do. Which is why it hurts that you don't think you can trust me."

"I do trust you. And I'm working on the jealousy, I promise." She grabbed Jimmy's hand and gave it a squeeze. "Give me some time. I'm trying to be a better person. I know I get angry sometimes-do not give me that look, I am well aware that may be considered an understatement-but it's happened a lot less since we got together. I can deal with you and April emailing each other. Sometimes you just make me a little...illogical."

Jimmy kissed her on the cheek. "You're trying, though. That means a lot."


	11. Starting Over

**Author's Note: **What's this? I'm actually updating at a fairly decent pace? I hope this can continue, but I make absolutely no promises. Thank you for reviews, follows and favorites. All are greatly appreciated.

**Special Note: **So this is meant to pick up a few years after "A Serious Question" and "Ticket to Ride".

Cindy picked a rose up and carefully trimmed it before setting it in a vase. Libby drummed her nails impatiently on the bar of her best friend's kitchen. Libby had only gotten back from New York a few months ago, but she'd managed to get a job as a DJ for the local radio station. She was living with Cindy and Jimmy until her own apartment was ready.

"He's going to freak out."

"He is not," Cindy insisted, pulling down two cups from the cupboard. "Coffee or tea?"

"Coffee. And this is the same guy who passed out on you when you asked him to marry you. I mean, he's gonna be happy, of course, but he's going to faint again."

Cindy rolled her eyes but got to work on filling the peculator with water. She dumped a bag of her favorite coffee into the filter and pressed the on switch. "That only happened one time. And this is good news. You'll see. He'll be thrilled."

"Maybe if you told him in private! But a party for this? Even if he doesn't freak, he might get upset you didn't tell him one on one."

"Maybe," Cindy admitted, washing her hands in the nearby sink. Jimmy would be gone for most of the day as he had office hours after he finished teaching (he easily could have taught anywhere in the world, but he had said he wanted to stay in Retroville) and Cindy had finished up at the research lab hours ago. It gave her plenty of time to prepare. "Speaking of freak outs..."

"Oooh, is this about that coworker you hate? Girl, tell me everything."

"No, this is about you." The coffee machine beeped and Cindy poured both of them a cup. She pushed the first cup Libby's way. "You know...You know I invited him, right?"

"Sheen?" Cindy nodded. Libby took a slow sip, as though the coffee might help her think. "Yeah, I figured you would. I promise I won't make a scene."

Cindy snorted. "Libs, since when were you the one to make a scene? And even if you did, I owe you for all the times you kept me out of trouble when _I_ made a scene. I just want to make sure you're going to be ok. I know you missed him while you were at school."

"Yeah, I did, but I hope he's moved on now." She didn't add that she hadn't. Not yet, anyway. There had been numerous offers, but none of the guys ended up interesting her past their second date. She was still trying to convince herself she just hadn't met the right guy. "Besides, this day is about you and Jimmy."

"That doesn't mean you can't have some fun, too. Or if it's too much trouble, I can uninvite him."

"What would Jimmy say to that?"

Cindy sighed and gripped her mug with both hands, thinking it over carefully. "He'd understand, but he'd be annoyed and say it wasn't fair. And he'd be right." She laughed. "Could you have imagined me saying Jimmy was right ten years ago?"

"It does still seem a little weird to me, admittedly. But anyway, with all you two are doing for me, letting me stay here? I'm not causing you guys any drama. So...what's he been up to this whole time?"

"Eh, you know. Job to job for a while, but now he's swearing up and down he's got a modeling contract," Cindy pulled a face, "How anyone could want to see _that_ modeling..." she noticed Libby's look of irritation and quickly pulled back. "I mean...not that there's anything wrong with him. He's good for you, you know, he's just not my type. But that doesn't mean he's not -Please excuse me, it's very hard to talk around this foot in my mouth."

Libby merely laughed. "I'm glad he's doing well. He deserves it. But now, let's get started on the decorations. ...And you owe me fifty bucks if Neutron passes out this time."

* * *

><p>Sheen didn't know what the party was for. Cindy had been very secretive. He'd assumed it was Jimmy and Cindy's anniversary, but Carl had reminded him that the anniversary had been three months ago. He was also very aware that Libby Folfax was currently staying at the Neutron residence and he also knew that with her being Cindy's best friend, she was bound to be in attendance.<p>

"How does my hair look?"

Carl shrugged. "Umm...a sort of black color with spikes?"

"I mean how does it look in comparison to how it usually looks!"

"Oh. A little more spiky than usual? Is this cause Libby's going to be there?"

"What?" Sheen faked surprise. Sheen was never very good at lying. There had actually been an offer for acting tied into the modeling contract, but it was quickly redrawn once the agents had actually _heard_ Sheen act. But it was still enough to convince Carl, or maybe he was just too good a friend to point it out.

"Yeah, she's staying with them. She got a job here in town, but the apartment she's moving into won't be ready for a little while longer. And you know Jimmy – he can't say no to anything Cindy asks."

Sheen nodded, "Not without getting hurt, probably." Sheen knocked on the door, part of him hoping it would be Libby who answered. He cursed under his breath when it was Cindy instead.

"Get in here! Neutron will be home any minute!" Cindy practically yanked the two inside.

"Why do you call him Neutron?" Carl asked as he took a seat on the couch. "I mean, that's your name, too."

Cindy ignored the question. "Will you two just hide already?!" Sheen and Carl both shrugged. Carl went to hide in the kitchen (not forgetting to grab a slice of cake out of the fridge while Cindy was preoccupied) and Sheen selected a spot beside the couch, only to find Libby was already hiding there.

"Oh. Uh...I'll find somewhere else, I guess," Sheen offered, about to move away when Cindy shushed him. They all heard the sound of keys in the door.

"Cindy, someone parked in my spot again. Could you talk to the people at the front desk? They listen to you better than I do..."

"Sure, Jimmy. How was your day?" she planted a kiss on her husband's cheek and took his briefcase from him.

"The usual. Kids asking for extra credit when they never showed up to their regular classes. I mean, gas planets, it's not like this stuff is hard! Intro to Rocket Science? It's an INTRO class, after all."

"When are we supposed to jump out?" Sheen leaned forward to ask Libby. He noticed immediately that she still smelled of her old perfume. The sense memory was threatening to over power him.

"I'm sure Cindy will let us know." Libby for her part was trying not to give into the temptation to lean further into Sheen. She dared a peek from behind the couch.

"Cindy, why is there a cake that says 'congatu-' on it in the fridge?"

"WHAT?! CARL! Did you eat some cake before everyone else?!"

Carl slid out of the pantry he'd been hiding in. "...Yes. I was hungry! I haven't had a snack since a half hour ago."

"Why are you here? Not that I'm not glad to see you, Carl," Jimmy quickly amended. He thought it over momentarily. "Whomever else is here, please come out. Surprise is over."

"I will make you pay for this, Carl," Cindy promised. Carl looked legitimately scared, but Jimmy gave his wife a stern look. "Fine. I won't hurt him. But one day I will call on you to do a favor for me."

"Ookay, when Cindy starts quoting mobster movies it's time to step in," Libby said, standing up from behind the couch. "I don't even know why I was hiding, you knew I was supposed to be here." Sheen popped up beside her.

"Cindy, why are all these people here? It's not our anniversary, or either one of our birthdays..."

Cindy handed him a small box, about the size a jeweler might put a necklace in. "What's this?"

"The uh...really big surprise. Just open it."

Jimmy shrugged but tore into the packaging. He glanced at what was inside for a moment before staring at Cindy. "Really?"

"Really."

"That's wonderful!" Jimmy took her into his arms and swung her around. "Oh...I probably shouldn't be doing that to you."

"See, I told you he wouldn't pass out," Cindy prodded Libby in the ribs with her elbow.

"I still don't know what's going on," Sheen pointed out. Carl nodded his agreement. Jimmy pulled the present out of the box – a positive pregnancy test.

"We're gonna have a baby!" Jimmy looked positively giddy. "If it's a girl, Marie Ada Neutron, if it's a boy Neil Saigan Neutron..."

"Slow down," Cindy patted him on the back. "We can discuss names later. I'm only a month along. We have time."

Jimmy wasn't paying attention. He'd grabbed Carl and Sheen and had one arm around each friend's neck. "I'm gonna be a dad! We're going to have a baby!"

Jimmy was too excited by the news, and Cindy too excited by her husband's reaction to see Libby slip out the door. But Sheen noticed. He slipped out of Jimmy's arms and left his friend to his reverie. He found Libby outside the apartment, sitting with her back against the wall. "Can I sit here?"

"Sure."

"Everything ok?"

"Yeah. I mean, I'm happy for them. But I need to make sure that apartment's ready soon. They keep pushing the date back on me, and they're going to need a nursery. We're all really growing up now, aren't we, Sheen?"

"Eh, I don't think that part's mandatory. I mean, who determines who's a grown up? Did you hear that Nick is still living with his mom and letting her pay all the bills for him? Doesn't sound grown up to me."

"I guess what I mean is that this seems like the first step to all of us drifting apart. No one's heard from Oleander and Emily since they had _their_ baby."

"Did we even like them enough to keep in contact?"

Libby pulled a face. "No, not really, Emily was a controlling witch. But still, I don't want to lose Jimmy or Cindy. I already lost..." she stopped. "Never mind."

"Lost what, Libby? Maybe I can help you find it?" Sheen was giving her the usual puppy dog eyes that used to make her melt. They still had the same effect now.

"I'm not sure it would be fair to what I've lost if I found it again. Sometimes things need to move on. We outgrow each other."

Sheen snorted. "Says you. I lost lots of my UltraLord action figures, but they all found their way back to me. Except Melty Face. I hope you didn't throw him away."

"I didn't."

"So there's hope."

"That's not what I said Sheen."

"You're back here. You have a job here. I have a job offer. I'm more grown up that I was, even if I never was able to grow that mustache," he paused, giving her a chance to chuckle at the joke. She did. "I don't want to force you into anything, and I'll back off if you ask me to. But just know that I'd start over again for you in a Retroville minute. Or a millisecond."

"And if I said no, could we still be friends?"

"Of course, but you'll have to forgive me if I constantly tell you how beautiful you are."

Libby leaned into him and put her head on his shoulder. "Give me time to decide. I'd like to try again, but right now I don't know where I'm going. I don't want to hurt you all over again."

"It'd be worth it. But I'll give you time to decide. No pressure. ...But could we maybe go see the new UltraLord movie together? You know...as friends?"

"I'd like that."


	12. Picnic

**Author's Note: **I have an idea I need some opinions on – I think Cindy's mother is just well...awful. The next chapter would deal with some of that, but I'm wondering if I'm wrong? I know she loves Cindy, but she still seemed overbearing and kind of annoying to me. Also, thank you for the kind reviews (and for pointing out flow last chapter! I sometimes forget to edit for line breaks – the writing program I use never records them when I upload the chapters). This sort of goes against my "Sage Advice for the Lonely Hearts" chapter. I just wanted to finally write one where they aren't arguing.

* * *

><p>Humphrey and Goddard sat at the park, watching their owners with great interest. Humphrey cocked his head to the side and whined a little bit. An arm popped out of the compartment of Goddard's back and patted the bulldog. Humphrey shook it off. He was okay with the situation and was actually just whining because he wanted some food. Goddard barked and then laid down in the grass.<p>

"You know, Cindy, there are leash laws in this state," Jimmy pointed out, nodding his head in Humphrey's direction.

"Yeah, but Goddard's not on a leash either. And don't give me any of that junk about him not being a real dog, not with that fuss you put up after the pet show." Cindy gave a low whistle. Humphrey sat up eagerly and she threw him a piece of pastrami. The dog hungrily wolfed it down. "What do you want on your sandwich, Neutron?"

"Pastrami and mustard. A lot of mustard."

Cindy rolled her eyes. "You have a really weird level of enjoyment of mustard. Gross. You better eat a breath mint after this," she pulled a large bottle of mustard out and squeezed a glob of it onto the bread she'd already taken out. "And don't complain about the gluten free bread, my mom's on a weird health kick and it was the only kind we had in the house." she finished up on the sandwich and passed it his way.

Jimmy shrugged and took a bite before making a face. "Uh, maybe we should just go out somewhere for lunch. I wasn't that hungry anyway." He tried to tempt Humphrey with the sandwich, but the dog stuck his nose up in apparent disgust. "Ok, not good enough for dogs, either. I don't think I'm hungry anymore." He wrapped the sandwich in a paper towel and made a mental note to throw it away on their way out of the park.

"I'm not really hungry, either," Cindy admitted. She had eaten a rather late breakfast and Jimmy had showed up on her porch with no warning to ask her to go on a picnic. She had too many butterflies in her stomach to eat, anyway.

Jimmy sighed and laid down, staring up at the sky. "Quetzalcoatlus."

"Huh?"

"Lay down with me," He patted the ground beside him. Cindy eased herself down, maintaining a safe distance. "There," he pointed at a cloud. "That looks like Quetzalcoatlus. There are the wings and the beak..."

"Don't you think it's a little small for that? I'd say it looks more like a pteranodon. I mean, Quetzalcoatlus was the biggest flying thing ever, weren't its wings like...the size of a school bus?"

"Yeah. Guess you're right."

Cindy propped herself up on one elbow and stared at him. "Did you really just acquiesce about something scientific?"

"They're clouds, Cindy. Not worth arguing with my girlfriend about." Jimmy paused for a moment, realizing what he had just said. He sat up very suddenly. "I mean...not that you are. Or that you have to be. I mean, unless you want to. ...aww, gas planets..."

"You want me to be your girlfriend?"

Jimmy looked away, but he nodded. "You're smart and you're pretty and uh, I guess I'd just like to be your boyfriend. I like hanging out with you."

"I have to think about it."

"Oh. Well, that's ok, I gu-"

"Brain blast!" Cindy elbowed him teasingly. "Ok, I say yes."

"Really? You mean it?" Jimmy said eagerly. Cindy nodded and grabbed one of his hands. "I'm glad. So you want to go get that lunch now?"

Cindy shook her head. "I'd like to just lay back down and look at the clouds some more. Besides, that one over there," she indicated a cloud directly above Jimmy's head, "Looks a lot like a Tesla coil." Jimmy considered and nodded his agreement. He laid back down, and Cindy followed, resting her head against his chest.

Humphrey whined again, and Goddard whined back. If one were to take the time to translate dog (and robo dog) to human, their conversation probably would have gone like this:

_So, they're together now?_ Humphrey would say.

_Sure looks like it,_ Goddard would admit. _I think we will be getting a lot more time at the park in the future. _There was a loud clicking sound from the robot dog. _There. Now Jimmy will be able to remember this day a bit more easily. Want to see if we can get a treat? They have Purple Flurp cans!_

_Yuck. But it would probably be better than that nasty sandwich. Who eats that much mustard, anyway?!  
><em>

**Author's note: **Not trying to rag on people with gluten issues – my own sister has celiac disease, which is how I've tasted gluten free bread. I was not impressed (I've heard other brands are better, but still...) I also recently rewatched "Trading Faces", wherein Cindy got whistling and Jimmy got 'rapturous enjoyment of mustard'.


	13. Jurisparent

**Author's Note: **I don't know what to think about Cindy's mother. From what I've seen of her, I don't like her. This chapter was just me trying to play around with the parents. As in a previous chapter, I have dubbed Mr. Vortex Ted. This takes place before "Tears". I will also say that Sasha Vortex seems like she'd be a lawyer – I know she's stated to have lawyers in Love Potion 976/J, but lawyers can have other lawyers to check their things. Please forgive the lame title pun.

Judy Neutron was having an all together productive and enjoyable day. She'd gotten Hugh's car running again (she made a mental note to tell him to be more careful about where he was putting his duck collection – a mallard had gotten stuck in the exhaust pipe), cleaned all of the house (except Jimmy's room. The little genius was twelve now and expected to clean the room himself, after all) and even had a head start on dinner which was just now starting to really heat up in the crock pot.

It was only three in the afternoon, and she decided to help herself to a cup of coffee and a slice of the cheesecake she'd made just last night. Before she'd even sat down to enjoy herself, the phone rang. She consulted the caller id to make certain it wasn't the air force, army, navy or any other government entity that might have Jimmy on a calling list (sometimes for assistance, other times to let his mother know just what he'd been up to). Instead, it was the Vortexs' name that popped up on the display.

"Well, that's odd. Cindy usually calls his cell phone, and they should be walking home from school together now, anyway." Judy wondered aloud before answering the phone. "Neutron residence," she said, using her shoulder to prop the phone to her ear as she took a slow sip of her coffee.

"Hello, Judy."

Judy spat out of her coffee and spluttered. "Oh. Sasha Vortex. ...How uh...nice," Judy winced. It was hard even now to fake enthusiasm to hear from Mrs. Vortex. "Can I help you with something?"

"I was just calling to invite your family to dinner tonight."

"Oh? Well, I've actually already started cooking. Maybe some other night?" _Or...never. Never would be good. _Judy was coming around to Cindy now that she saw the blond treating her son better, but Sasha Vortex was the one person in Retroville who constantly got on Judy's nerves.

"I'm sure whatever crock pot meal you've got can wait. We will be having lamb with a mint sauce reduction with a side of cous cous," Judy rolled her eyes at Sasha's haughty tone. "Besides, we need to discuss the future."

"The future of what?" Judy momentarily wondered if Jimmy had been using one of his multiple time themed inventions to show people their futures.

"Of our children, of course!"

"Sasha, they're twelve and they're dating. It's not like they're getting married."

"Still, I feel it is best if we have a civil arrangement. I'll expect you this evening." There was a click as Mrs. Vortex hung up.

"I absolutely cannot stand that woman," Judy put down the phone receiver a little harder than she meant to. She thought momentarily about just skipping out on the dinner, but Sasha was one to hold a grudge and Jimmy would be quite upset if this got him barred from seeing Cindy. "The things I do for my family," she sighed as she turned the crock pot off and sealed the ingredients in a plastic bowl. She felt a headache coming on.

* * *

><p>"Do I really have to wear this? It's itchy!" Jimmy tugged at the collar on his turtleneck. Judy had insisted on him dressing nicely for the occasion, so he wore the turtle neck and some slacks. Hugh had thrown a nice dress jacket over his normal clothes and Judy had chosen a knee-length blue gown with no pattern on it.<p>

"Jimmy, we are going to be nice and it's good to look presentable." The family of three set out for the house across the street, Jimmy trailing slightly behind his parents.

"Gas planets, this is going to be the most boring night ever. Dinner parties? I could be at home working on cold fusion!"

"Now, now, Jim-Jam. Sometimes dating means meeting the parents. Even when you really don't want to," Hugh gave an involuntary shudder. "Sometimes it means crying on the floor while your mother tells your new father-in-law that he has poor taste in china patterns."

"But I've met Mr. and Mrs. Vortex before! We've lived across the street from them for four years."

"Still, Sasha asked us to come," Judy took the first steps up the stairs of the porch of the Vortex house. "It'd be rude to decline the invitation." _Not_, Judy thought, _like she gave me a choice, anyway._ She rapped softly on the front door. It sprang open and Cindy, who was wearing a pink dress and had her hair in a bun, opened it.

Cindy sighed as she extended an arm to show them it was okay to come in. "Welcome, Neutron family," she spoke as though she'd rehearsed it. In fact, she had. Her mother had made her run through 'polite, civilized conversation' multiple times since Cindy had gotten home from school.

"Hello, Cindy," Judy said. "I like your dress."

"Thanks, Mrs. Neutron. I'm ...sorry about all this. My mom likes to put on a show." She whispered the last part so her mother couldn't hear her.

"Not your fault, dear," Judy said, patting the girl on the back. "I brought a pie."

"I hope that's organic," Mrs. Vortex had entered the room so quietly it caused Judy to jump. "I have a very sensitive stomach. No pesticides. Of course, the lamb for tonight is free range."

Cindy made eye contact with Jimmy and rolled her eyes. He fought back a snicker. "Cynthia," Sasha interrupted the pair's silent exchange, "please help your father set the plates. Make certain that you have all of the silver ware in the proper order."

"Yes, mother," Cindy went off to do her chores, with one last conspiratorial wink at Jimmy.

* * *

><p>"Now this is nice, isn't it?" Hugh tried to make conversation. They were finally on dessert, but there hadn't been much talk during the previous courses. "I mean, just the Vortexes and the Neutrons. Ted, how's it been going? Your accounting firm doing a lot of ...accounting?"<p>

"Well, as a matter of fact, Hugh, we're doing some rather exciting things with those numbers," Ted Vortex took a sip of his water. "For example, did you know why six was afraid of seven?"

"No.."

"Cause seven ate nine!"

Ted and Hugh both broke into laughter. Jimmy and Cindy looked embarrassed by the joke, Sasha looked irritated and Judy just looked ready to leave. "Well, it's been a wonderful evening, and thank you for the lovely meal. I suppose we should get going, though-"

"Oh, but we haven't discussed why you're here," Sasha interrupted. Seemingly out of nowhere, she produced a large stack of papers.

"Mom, please don't do this," Cindy was covering her face with her hands.

Sasha ignored her. "This is the legal contract for Jimmy and Cindy's relationship. I have included copies for each one of you to review at length so we can make any necessary modifications before proceeding to make it official."

Jimmy looked horrified. Cindy sank deeper into her chair, cursing that she'd ever admitted to her mother that she and Jimmy were a couple.

"Official?" Judy looked around, trying to make sure there were no cameras. "They're _twelve_, Sasha. It's not like they're getting married."

"Now, honey, I think Mrs. Neutron has a point," Ted grabbed a copy of the contract. Jimmy noted from the look on Mr. Vortex's face that this was the first he was hearing about this as well. "...Instructions in case of a break up? Visitation rights? Division of friends?"

"Mrs. Vortex, while I appreciate your wanting to help us," Jimmy tried, missing the look Cindy was giving him that was desperately saying 'please shut up, Neutron, "I don't think any of this is necessary."

"And what about when you break up?" Sasha asked calmly, turning her direction to Jimmy alone. "And I promise you, it is a when. You're only kids, after all."

"True, but we're smart kids. Maybe it won't last forever, but doesn't that mean we should enjoy it while we can? I really lo-like Cindy. A lot. I would never intentionally hurt her. Cindy, what do you think about all this?"

Cindy hesitated. She was a tough girl, but it was not in her usual habit to disagree with her mother. She instead stared down at her slice of pie, wishing there was some way she could just disappear.

"I think this is ridiculous," Judy pushed herself from her seat and planted her hands firmly on the table, "Jimmy and Cindy are nice kids, and your trying to dictate their relationship is just..." Judy grabbed a copy of the contract and skimmed it. "You put a list of approved baby names on here! Sasha, I am only going to say this once," Judy balled the contract up and threw it, hitting Sasha square on the nose. "BUTT OUT OF THEIR LIVES!"

"How dare you! Ted, say something," Sasha urged her husband.

"Ok. Cindy, Jimmy, go watch a movie. You still have time to be kids. Enjoy it while you can," he took another sip of water and muttered under his breathe "until some shrieking harpy takes your happiness from you..."

It was all the excuse the two preteens needed. They both muttered thank yous, jumped from their chairs and practically raced to Cindy's room.

Sasha looked like she was fuming. "Mr. Neutron, do you have anything to add?"

"While, I'd probably add some cinnamon to this pie...Oh!" Hugh cottoned on, "You meant about this? Well, I think Jim-Jam can make his own decisions about his relationships. Sugar booger?"

"Yes, Hugh?"

"I think we should head home ourselves. Hey, Ted, you wanna come over and watch the big game?"

Ted thought it over. "I'm not one for football, Hugh."

"Football?! No, the big duck game is tonight. Pekins verses the Mallards. Should be one heck of a show down."

"Well, that sounds like fun. Sign me up!" Ted wiped his mouth with a napkin and joined Hugh in heading out the door, leaving Judy and Sasha alone.

"I just want what's best for my child," Sasha said softly.

"I know," Judy nodded sympathetically. She still didn't care for Sasha, but she knew the other woman's intentions were good.

"I just don't want to see her heart get broken. I know Jimmy's a good boy, you don't have to tell me that. But he and Cindy are smart in different ways. Even if they last all the way through high school, I don't think they're going to the same college. Cindy has liked him for so long...I don't know that she'll ever get over it."

"I understand, but a contract, Sasha? How would that fix it?"

Sasha blushed. "...there is a clause in incredibly tiny print that says your son must go to see Cindy on her twenty-fifth birthday and if neither are married has to propose."

"Is that even legal?!"

Sasha considered it. "Probably not, but I have several other amazing lawyers on my staff. If I can't defend it, I'm certain one of them could."

Judy's headache was beginning to return. "Sasha, they're going to get older and they're going to change. Your daughter is very tough. I know my Jimmy is a special boy, but I don't think their breaking up will destroy Cindy. She'll move on. And who's to say she won't be the one to break up with him? You don't see me shoving a contract at you saying that if she hurts him I will break her, do you?"

Sasha let out a long sigh. "True. She's just growing up so fast. I don't always know what to do with her," the sound of laughter drifted down from Cindy's room. Jimmy and Cindy were being a little on the loud side, so Sasha heard the mathematically based puns they were using to entertain each other, even if she didn't understand them herself. At each new joke, the other one would crack up and then try to top the other. "Plus, our children are a little on the odd side."

"I think you mean the bright side," Judy corrected. "Kids only learn if you let them grow. We can't keep them in a bubble forever. ...well, Jimmy did do that to his friend Carl once for a few weeks, but that didn't last forever, either. They don't need us to protect them, not anymore. And those two...they've helped save the town so many times," _My son a bit more than your daughter..._Judy thought, but figured it would be rude to say it aloud. "The times where they actually can be kids matter all the much more, because they've had to act so grown up. Their intelligence can be a burden, Sasha. Just leave them be."

"I suppose you're right. Thank you, Judy."

"You're welcome." Judy turned for the door, then stopped to consider something. "Sasha?"

"Yes?"

"Would you be willing to draw up a contract for me?"

"I suppose. Whatever for?"

"Oh, just a little something to make it clear to a certain little genius that if he doesn't keep his room clean, Cindy gets to see a new baby picture of him for each article of clothing laying around."

For the first time ever, Judy heard Sasha give out a genuine laugh that wasn't at the expense of another person. "I'll see what I can do."


	14. Kiss

"So was Betty or April the first girl you kissed?" Sheen asked, lifting the other end of the overly sized telescope as Jimmy got the other. "I guess it had to be Betty, but I sometimes think those brain aliens messed up my mind. Sometimes everybody turns purple. ...Like right now. You're a very nice shade of violet."

"I don't think that was the Brains, Sheen. I tested you last week with that ray to check if different animals were color blind. ...Apparently the side effects are still lingering. Why do you care about who I've kissed?"

"Eh, Cindy and Libby were talking about it the other day. I'm the only guy Libby's ever kissed, and Cindy was kinda mad that you've kissed other girls. I think Cindy's always kind of mad, though."

"I didn't kiss Betty or April."

"..I was there both times, dude."

"No, they kissed me, there's a difference!" Jimmy insisted. "Cindy is the only one that I made the first move on. I kissed _her_. Now can we please stop talking about this? I still need your help in finishing reorganizing the lab."

* * *

><p>"I cannot believe you bribed Sheen into wearing a recorder in Jimmy's lab. Have you gone completely nuts?"<p>

"I just needed to know for sure. I'm not being jealous, it's just you mentioned Sheen being your only kiss and ...sometimes I get upset that I wasn't Neutron's first when he _was _mine. I mean, what if I don't do it as well as them?!"

"Girl, with how often I see you two kissing I sincerely doubt he has complaints." the doorbell rang and Cindy jumped out of her seat and ran down to get it. "Aaaand that will be Sheen." Libby predicted, following her best friend at a much slower pace.

"You got the goods?" Cindy asked. Libby sighed, pausing on the middle of the stairs. The one thing Sheen and Cindy had in common was their love of the dramatic.

"I got the goods. You have my payment?"

Cindy nodded and handed him a box at the same time he handed her the recorder. "And if anyone asks?"

"We don't know each other."

"They won't believe that, Ultra doofus! We go to the same school. Just...don't bring this up to anybody, especially Jimmy. Or I will judo chop you. Got it?"

"Got it." Sheen headed off, and Libby finally got to the very bottom of the stairs.

"What did you pay him with?"

"Some rare Ultra Lord comic that my dad bought me a while ago. He found the one you left in my room and thought I was into it."

"I told you I was just borrowing it so I could understand Sheen a bit better!"

"Libby, I didn't even ask. Now, let's see what Jimmy said..."

"_I didn't kiss Betty or April."_

"Why is he lying about that?! Sheen was there both times," Cindy grumbled.

"_I was there both times, dude."_

"See?!"

"No one was arguing with you, Cind."

Cindy started the tape back up again, skipping slightly ahead.

"_Cindy is the only one that I made the first move on. I kissed _her." Cindy turned the tape off and held it close to her chest. "He chose to kiss me. They kissed him, but he picked me."

"I don't know why you're surprised. You two have been in love with each other since, like, day one. You just spent so much time arguing to mask it. I know this time it wasn't you being jealous, but maybe you should have just asked Jimmy?"

"Like he'd be honest about that. How do you tell the person you're dating that they're not the best kisser they've ever been with?"

"It's Jimmy. I wouldn't be surprised if he has charts documenting you on a scale of one to ten."

"I don't know about that, but he does have a counter on his watch for each time we kiss."

"Oh would you two seriously just get a lab already?!"

"I thought it was kind of sweet. And we're in the double digits now," Cindy said mischievously. "I think I'm gonna head over to see him now. You okay to walk home?"

"Yeah, I think I can manage that. So long as you promise me one thing?"

"Of course, Libby."

"Do not ever, _ever_ tell me how high that kiss counter is."


	15. That Look

**Important: **Takes place before Vanishing Act!

"Oh, god, those two again."

Betty ignored the hallway chatter most of the time. She liked to believe she was above the rumor mill, and for the most part, she was. If she had just kept walking that day, she would have never learned the truth.

Instead of walking away, though, she had a moment of clumsiness and spilled her books all through the hallway. As she leaned to pick them up, she finally realized who 'those two' were: Lindbergh's two geniuses, Cindy Vortex and Jimmy Neutron.

Their voices rose into a crescendo, until Betty's curiosity finally got the better of her. She wasn't the only one watching, though, so there were plenty of people to hide behind. She felt embarrassed to be listening in, but she wanted to see if Jimmy needed her help.

"For the last time," Jimmy was saying, "I'm sorry! Interdimensional travel is tricky and I will get your dumb dog back!"

"Humphrey is not dumb! He is a pure bred and brilliant and if I said the same thing about the bucket of bolts you call a dog you'd be just as angry at me, Neutron!"

"What's going on?" Betty whispered to the person nearest her. It turned out to be Nick Dean.

"Eh, the usual. Geek Love Birds having their weekly spat. Usually they leave it in the classroom, though. Man, Neutron really got Cindy cheesed off this time."

"Is she okay?"

"I guess he disappeared her dog? I don't know. Don't really care, actually. This is a pretty good distraction for cutting class. You wanna come with, Quinlan?"

"Not really my thing, Nick. But...thanks, I guess." Nick shrugged and wandered off. He wasn't the only one starting to lose interest. Betty hurried to hide behind the others that were starting to break away, hoping Cindy and Jimmy were too caught up in their argument to notice her. She ducked around a locker and continued to watch their exchange.

She had, of course, heard rumors that Jimmy and Cindy liked each other and that their constant arguing was just a way for them to mask how they felt. She had just assumed that they were rumors, though. Since she didn't share a classroom with them, she didn't know much about Cindy.

Cindy slammed her locker shut. "How do I know you'll get Humphrey back? How do I know he's not going to starve or hasn't already been eaten or something else wherever you sent him?!"

"I didn't mean to send him anywhere, he came into my yard on his own. If he'd been wearing a leash-"

"Do not try to make this my fault, Jimmy, Goddard's come into my yard more than once and I've _never_ zapped him into another dimension!"

"You're right."

That seemed to give Cindy pause.

"I'm sorry. Again. I know I keep saying that, but I really do mean it, Cindy. I'm going to get Humphrey back, it just may take me a little while. Vox has been running tracking software on Humphrey's DNA since this morning at 3 a.m.-"

"Why so early?"

"That's what time I got up to start the program. I uh...I couldn't sleep."

"You promise you'll find him?"

"I promise I'm _looking_, it would be unprofessional to promise something like -" Betty saw the shift in the way he was looking at Cindy. His voice softened. "I promise."

"Thanks, Jimmy. When school's out could I go to the lab with you?"

Jimmy groaned. "Girls aren't allowed in the lab!"

"This is an extenuating circumstance, Neutron, and I will find a way to get in so it's easier to just invite me."

"Fine, but you stay behind the yellow line.

"Fine!"

"Fine!"

Betty watched as the two attempted to part ways, realized they were going the same way and then just tried to ignore each other as they walked back to Miss Fowl's class.

"Betty?" Betty jumped and whirled around to see Libby Folfax watching her. "Oh. Libby. Hello. I was just on my way to class."

"You were just watching a Neutron Vortex special."

"No. No. ...I mean yes. Are they always like that?"

"No."

"Oh?"

"Nope, sometimes they get mushier at the end. It's always like that. Sniping back and forth so no one can tell how they feel, then a sort of look between them that says that they know better...I probably shouldn't be telling you this."

"Why not? Seems like the whole school knows."

"Seems like you didn't. And Cindy is my girl. I've gotta look out for her."

"And what, I'm someone to look out for?"

"Depends. Do you like Jimmy?" Libby waited while Betty tried to figure out how to say it. "Fine. You don't have to answer. But whether or not you do, he likes you. But the problem is, my best friend is in _love_ with him. I'm not threatening you, and honestly she'd kill me if she found I told you this – but if you're going to do anything with Jimmy Neutron, you better love him at least as much as she does. Because if not, you're hurting two of my friends. And then..."

"Then?"

"Then I might actually turn to threatening." Libby shrugged. "I've been spending too much time around Cindy, I guess. Violence kinda rubs off on you."

"I'm not trying to hurt either of them-"

"Sometimes you don't have to try, it just happens. I'm not telling you to step off. If you're in love with Jimmy, too, fine. But think about it, because I'm the one that will have to sit with her when she gets her heart broken. If I have to go through that, if _she_ has to, it better have been for a good reason." The late bell rang, interrupting Libby's train of thought. "Anyway, I've got class. See you around, Betty. Just...please don't hurt them. Either one of them."

Libby dashed for Miss Fowl's class as Betty headed for Miss Valkarian's, ignoring the teacher as she warned her about being tardy. Betty took her seat and pretended to listen, but she was still thinking about her conversation with Libby.

Did she actually love Jimmy?

No.

No, she knew she didn't. She liked him, definitely. Even had a bit of a crush on him. But that look he'd given Cindy...

Betty sighed, knowing what she had to do. She had to give up on the boy genius. Otherwise all three of them would just get hurt.

Because somehow she knew that she was never going to be looked at the way Jimmy had looked at Cindy.

**Author's Note: **I always wondered if just everyone knew about Cindy and Jimmy or if something happened to show Betty what was going on and made her back off. So, there's my theory.


End file.
